The Family in Islam
- the Civilisation of the American Continent =============================================
In the Aztec civilisation, in Central America adultery was a sin whose punishment was death by strangulation and then stoning without distinction between man and woman.
In the civilisation of the Incas in the Andes, marriage was compulsory and celibacy was forbidden and there used to be an observer from the Incas who would roam the villages and the countryside to make sure that celibates would marry.
5. The Civilisation of Ancient Japan
In Ancient Japan, women were known for marital fidelity or faced death. If a husband came upon his wife in flagrante delicto, it was his right to kill her and her lover on the spot. Certain of their leaders have added that if a husband has killed his wife in these circumstances and let the other man go free then he himself deserves the punishment of death.
Even the sect of the Samurai who insisted upon remaining without marrying until the age of thirty made it incumbent upon themselves to marry and produce at least two children.
Chastity was a great virtue among the Japanese so that some women would even kill themselves when their virtue was exposed to danger.
6. Among Pre-Islamic Arabs
The Arabs concerned themselves with lineage and descent, and this interest drove them to such depths and precision in the organisation of the family and the tribes and peoples that it became to them an art and a science.18
They used to encourage early marriage beginning with age sixteen for men and twelve or less for girls so if a girl reached eighteen or twenty without marriage, she would be viewed with concern. The veil was widespread in the various Arab lands in many forms just as the custom of circumcision was widespread even for girls.
They used to forbid marriage to close relatives and fornication was regarded as a sin, which if they were able to punish it, did so with severe punishments.19 In certain circumstances, the adulteress would be separated and isolated in the house and would remain in this way un-married until death.